"Why does the Torah start with the creation, instead of the first commandment given to the Jewish People? Because if the nations of the world ever accuse the Jews of stealing the Land of Israel, the Jews will be able to respond to the nations of the world that the entire world belongs to G-d, He created it and He choose to give the Land of Israel to the Jewish People."
-Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhak (Rashi)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Every American Jewish establishment leader is aware that the rate of intermarriage among American Jews is at 50%. Every second Jews that gets married opts to marry out of the tribe. They accept that assimilation is widespread and that the Jewish people is disappearing as a distinctive entity in the United States. Even as they frantically try to keep Jews Jewish, apathy and indifference remain and more Jews are lost. Despite billions of dollars spent on bringing Jewish teenagers to Israel for free on Birthright, most Jews are disconnected from Israel. Jewish organizations invest tons of money into new Holocaust Museums even as young Jews suffer from Holocaust fatigue and overload. Why is it that the brightest leaders and thinkers of the Jewish establishment cannot find a way to sustain the newest generation of Jews?

The simple reason is because these people who are completely alienated from Torah and Jewish values have nothing to offer young Jews. Their ideology is completely bankrupt, with not a shred of spirituality or meaning. Bagels and lox provide no answers for a Jew seeking truth. The "Judaism" that these Jewish establishment leaders are peddling is a mixture of Holocaust victim syndrome, lame Jewish jokes and cultural quirks, knishes and kugel, with some watered down Zionism, cemented by getting Jewish teens drunk on the beaches of Tel-Aviv.

The modern zeitgeist is one of bringing people closer, of breaking down walls and barriers. The new world is one without tribal identity or religious affiliation. In such a world, one need only be a good person. What reason does this "Judaism" give to young Jews for setting up false obstacles and differences between themselves and the rest of society? These youth are given no positive reason to be Jewish, and a myriad of reasons why they should simply be human beings. The "Judaism" that they are taught is emptiness and vanity, devoid of G-d and His commandments, empty of commitment and devotion, without any holiness or reverence. The establishment leaders emphasize the "Jewish" qualities which we share with the larger society: democracy, tolerance, pluralism, etc. Little do they realize that what these assimilation-bent Jews need is to know what makes us different than, not the same as, everyone else. If being Jewish is only about being a good person, why not marry a nice Catholic or Chinese or Greek girl?

The essence of Judaism is that G-d publicly revealed Himself before the entire nation of Israel at Mount Sinai and made an eternal covenant with us. He became our G-d and we became His nation. At Sinai, G-d gave us His plan for life, the Torah, which contains His commandments. These commandments have been the mainstay and foundation of Jewish life for thousands of years. When the situation seemed hopeless, when the desperate Jew in Spain or in Russia was ready to break, it was G-d's promise to Israel that gave him strength. Living in terrible conditions, in the ghettos of Europe or the mellahs of Morocco, the Jew clung fiercely to his G-d and to his faith, with complete trust in G-d's revelation at Sinai and believing fully in the coming of the Redemption.

When Jews keep the Torah, they can overcome Crusades and Inquisitions, pogroms and Auschwitz. When they stray from G-d's Torah, they are left without a basis and are lost. It is time for the Jewish leaders to admit that "cultural Judaism" is a dead end. We have tried to raise a generation on nostalgia, Holocaust guilt and Seinfeld and have found that this is a path to assimilation and spiritual destruction. Without a solid foundation in Judaism, forget about getting Jews excited about Israel. The Jewish pride and identity that these leaders so hope to instill in young Jews must have a basis in Jewish belief, values, ritual and practice.

A whole generation of Jews have been robbed of their heritage. Tragically, they are completely ignorant of the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and of the countless millions of Jews who have preceded them. It is time to return the core of Judaism to what it always was- the Torah and mitzvot. Otherwise, we march down the road to assimilation singing and dancing to the tunes of Fiddler on the Roof.

22 comments:

Here is a word of encouragement: If the Jewish peoples'fate was in Jewish hands, they would have ceased to be long before this present age.

Even though Jewish American willful idiots wish to assimilate giving into the spirit of Baal, Hitler and Ahmadinejad, the G-d of Israel has begun the revival and awakening of Jews from all over the world who will not bow to Baal and to return to the land of Israel - of which the lost ten tribes will follow!

Be concerned but not spiritually down - Hashem will have His chosen treasure in the land of Jacob for the benefit of the nations!

To help "stop" American Jewry from intermarrying and help your fellow Jew at the same time - encourage Aliya!

Maybe it's possibel that most of the focus of contemporary judaism is in encouraging aliya and israel rather than being jews in our own right whereever we are? and cuz israel is so politically controversial maybe that pushes jews all over the world from wanting or caring for that kind of identity? maybe in order to avoid assimilation jews should come together and identify themselves as united against really awful things like capitalism and patriarchy and imperialism and global wars and starvation and racism. If bagels and lox don't provide answers or community for young jews seeking truth, maybe liberatory spiritualism does?just some thoughts.

Very interesting read. Thank you for all of the great content. I also wanted to share this...

Good For The Jews with special guests DeLeon and comedians Morgan Murphy, Seth Herzog, and Rachel Sklar is happening at the Highline Ballroom tonight! It’s going to be a great time, hope to see you there!December 7, 2009Concert starts @ 8PMDoors open @ 6PMTickets $15.00

Discount code: GFTJ

The hilarious music duo Good For the Jews bring their national tour to New York for a night of unorthodox music and comedy on December 7, the minus-fifth night of Hanukkah.

GOOD FOR THE JEWS:

Jewish music for people who don't like Jewish music.

No songs about dreidels.

And no Israeli folk-dancing.

“Good For the Jews is a hilarious musical act. Don’t miss them.” National Public Radio

“Like Sarah Silverman and Jon Stewart, Good For the Jews is wickedly hilarious.” Village Voice

“Good For the Jews: a Jewish Flight of the Conchords.” Denver Westword

“Like Adam Sandler with a few additional IQ points.” The Onion

“Good For the Jews is part of the sharp new culture presented by such talents as Jon Stewart, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Sarah Silverman.” Washington Post

DeLEON makes “Spanish-Jewish indie rock” by infusing 15th hcentury folk music with the entrancing cadences of the ancient Sephardic tradition. They have toured with Gogol Bordello and recently completed a 20-city tour with Brazilian legends Os Mutantes.

MORGAN MURPHY has been a writer for the TV shows Crank Yankers and Jimmy Kimmel Live. She has performed standup comedy on Premium Blend and Last Call with Carson Daly, and is currently writing for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

SETH HERZOG has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Chappelle’s Show, and VH1’s Best Week Ever.

I really want to get the new iPhone but I dont really know how much the extra data plan costs each month or how much it costs to add the new iPhone to my already existing plan. Can someone tell me the cheapest data plan I can get for the new iPhone and how much it will cost a month, along with home much it will cost to add an iPhone to my existing plan? [url=http://unlockiphone22.com]unlock iphone[/url] [url=http://www.swissacademy.com.eg/showthread.php?p=226#post226]unlock iphone[/url]

What a great web log. I spend hours on the net reading blogs, about tons of various subjects. I have to first of all give praise to whoever created your theme and second of all to you for writing what i can only describe as an fabulous article. I honestly believe there is a skill to writing articles that only very few posses and honestly you got it. The combining of demonstrative and upper-class content is by all odds super rare with the astronomic amount of blogs on the cyberspace.

This site is kosher

About Me

"Listen world, I am a Jew, I am a Zionist, and I pledge myself to Return to the bosom of Judaism; to its teachings and commandments, to the Yoke of Heaven to which I gladly bow." --- Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D

'Hear, O Israel! Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Be not weakhearted or afraid; be neither alarmed nor frightened by them. For it is Hashem, your God, who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies and give you victory.'
- Dvarim 20: 3-4

Righteous Gentiles

May He who blessed our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, bless the soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces, who stand watch over our land and the cities of our Lord, from the Lebanese border to the desert of Egypt and from the great sea to the verge of the wilderness, on land, in the air, and at sea. May God strike down before them our enemies who rise against us. May the Holy One save and spare our soldiers from all forms of woe and distress, of affliction and illness, and may He invest their every action with blessing and success. May He vanquish by their means those who hate us, and may He adorn them with a crown of deliverance and a mantle of victory. Thus may the verse be fulfilled: "For it is the Lord your God who marches with you to do battle for you against your enemy, to bring you victory.